Philadelphia's house of horrors

Catholic News Service

1/27/11

Warning: Some of the content in this story is extremely
graphic.

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia doctor who routinely performed
illegal late-term abortions for more than 30 years was
charged in the death of a female patient and accused of
murdering seven babies born alive in his squalid health
clinic.

A grand jury indicted Kermit B. Gosnell and nine associates
Jan. 19 on dozens of charges in connection with the deaths of
Karnamaya Mongar, 41, of Woodbridge, Va., and the newborn
infants. The indictment said the babies were killed when
their spinal cords were severed with scissors.

News of the practices in Gosnell's West Philadelphia Women's
Medical Society prompted the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to
offer "fervent prayers" for the victims, their families and
all touched by "these heinous practices."

"The repeated actions of Dr. Gosnell and his staff were
abhorrent and intrinsically evil in their disregard for the
lives of the unborn and the welfare of the women who sought
their services," the archdiocese said in a statement.

"We are prepared to assist with support services who suffered
these abortions and stand ready to provide proper burial at
the appropriate time for the aborted babies," the statement
added.

At a news conference announcing the charges, District
Attorney Seth Williams said the babies were born alive and
viable.

Williams also said it was likely that hundreds of other
babies died at the clinic between its opening in 1979 and
February 2010, when federal agents served warrants at the
location and Gosnell's home in the Mantua neighborhood of
West Philadelphia. He said evidence surrounding other likely
deaths was missing, however.

The warrants were issued in connection with the illegal sale
of prescriptions for Oxycontin to people never examined by
Gosnell.

In the raid, FBI agents and detectives from the district
attorney's office discovered jars filled with severed baby
feet lining the walls; containers, ranging from milk jugs to
cat food receptacles, and bags containing aborted fetuses
scattered throughout the clinic and bloodstained and
urine-stained furniture and floors, Williams said.

Onsite staff members also were found to be unlicensed, he
said.

Authorities learned of Mongar's November 2009 death from a
staffer during their investigation, the grand jury said in a
260-page report summarizing a yearlong investigation. Further
investigation revealed that Mongar died from an overdose of
anesthetics prescribed by Gosnell, according to the report.

The grand jury called the clinic a "baby charnel house."

The report contained vivid descriptions of procedures and
graphic photos of dead infants. It said the infant deaths
involved children from 24 to 32 weeks gestation. Under
Pennsylvania law, one of the strictest in the nation,
abortions past 24 weeks gestation are illegal. Most clinics
decline to perform abortions past 12 weeks.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Gosnell was well
known for being willing to handle abortions for women whose
pregnancies had surpassed 12 weeks and for treating poor and
minority women.

Agents described the facility as "filthy," "deplorable,"
"disgusting" and "very unsanitary, very outdated,
horrendous," the report said.

"There was blood on the floor. A stench of urine filled the
air. A flea-infested cat was wandering through the facility,
and there were cat feces on the stairs. Semi-conscious women
scheduled for abortions were moaning in the waiting room or
the recovery room, where they sat on dirty recliners covered
with blood-stained blankets," the report said.

Staff members face a slew of charges including murder,
performing illegal abortions, conspiracy, racketeering,
hindering prosecution, record tampering, obstructing justice,
theft by deception, perjury and false testimony, and
corruption of a minor.

The grand jury also devoted a large part of its report to
questioning how the workings of the Women's Health Society
could go undetected for so long and said that state and local
agencies failed in their oversight and licensing duties.

"In the absence of any regulatory oversight, Gosnell
recklessly cut corners, allowed patients to choose their
medication based on ability to pay, and provided abysmal care
- all to maximize his profit," the grand jury said.

Jurors offered 15 recommendations for state and local
governments to consider including legislative changes
governing the statute of limitations for infanticide and
illegal abortions as well as rules changes for agencies
governing the work of abortion clinics and law enforcement
agencies involving the investigation of suspicious deaths.